My Sacrifice
by East Coast Ryder
Summary: All I ask for is your forgiveness. One shot, Anakin's POV after ROTJ.


**A/N: My very first romance fic that isn't actually a scene in the actual movies! W0ot! NE ways, this was inspired by the song "My Sacrifice" by Creed, and you should read the lyrics to this, considering I can't post them... (Dumb rules...) Takes place after ROTJ.**

* * *

Anakin's POV

"Tell your sister you were right," I said with the last few breaths in my body. I had been trapped for so long inside the being known as Darth Vader, and I felt good about dying as me, after truly seeing my son. And soon, I would see Padmé again.

For Vader, Padmé was a mere memory. For Anakin, for me, Padmé was a loss. She had been what made the last few years as Anakin worthwhile. She was the only reason I had fought in the war, the only reason I wanted so badly to kill the separatists. To protecther.

Without Padmé. Two words that, before I became Darth Vader, I never would have let become a reality. But then, my Master--no, Palpatine, the Emperor--corrupted me. I wanted power more than anything. More than I wanted to love Padmé.

But Padmé was just the opposite. She loved me. So much. To Vader, it was almost sickening. To Anakin, to me…

Hell. I don't even remember what I felt about it. It had been so long… over twenty years inside that Force-forsaken demon. All I remembered was that she wanted, more than anything, my love. Just as I wanted, more than anything, power.

Now, as Anakin once more surfaced, I could remember just the feeling of wanting. So badly. Wanting anything that was available to me. Love, power, possessions. All that was forbidden, as a Jedi. I remember.

The war had torn the Republic apart to the seams. It was calloused to the bone, changed forever to the Empire, from the first amendments to the constitution, allowing my Master— Palpatine, Palpatine…— the power to use the clone army. Regardless of whether my— Palpatine— had taken full control, the Republic would still be dead. Chaos would control.

One person had the power to take away all the stress, all the anger, every care in the world. Padmé was my peace. I had sacrificed _everything_ to be with her. My position as a Jedi, Obi-Wan, the younglings… I wanted so much just to be with her, and yet I couldn't. Even as her last plea to me, she wanted it as well as I did.

"Come away with me! Let's leave, while we still have the chance! Help me raise our child!"

But I couldn't leave. "I am more powerful than the Chancellor! I can overthrow him! We can rule the galaxy!"

And at that moment, that life-changing instant, my eyes saw what I knew I couldn't bear to see. Obi-Wan. The one person that I couldn't face after what I had done. My blood boiled. The dark side once more clouded my vision, to stop me from facing him. From showing remorse. From turning back.

But now, as I was once more in control of my thoughts and actions, I was at peace. I could feel Padmé once more.

But before I could go and visit her, I had to see one more thing. Though all I had wanted to do, since I met Luke face-to-face a year ago, was see his mother again, to explain to her with a clear head what had happened, to apologize, to beg for forgiveness, I had one more person to see.

With a clear head, I wanted to see Leia. My daughter, Padmé's daughter. But, even as the Rebels had celebrated, Luke mourned. I watched over both of them as Luke burned the body of Vader, armor and all, and Leia, beautiful Leia, who was so much like her mother, wait for Luke to return.

And, in that moment, when my son looked upon Yoda, Obi-Wan, and myself, I felt as if I had overstayed my welcome. I had somewhere else to be.

"Padmé. I know you are somewhere out there. I am so, so, sorry. And I hope that, somehow, I can redeem myself in your eyes. I may not have been able to save you, Padmé, but I have saved your son. And your daughter," I said, callingout to nowhere. "All I want is your forgiveness." A tear fell to the ground.

"ANAKIN." I could hear her. She was not yelling at me. But she was firm. She was loud. This was her voice as a senator. "YOU HAVE KILLED. YOU HAVE HURT ME. BETRAYED ME. BETRAYED THE JEDI. BETRAYED THE REPUBLIC. YOU HAVE REIGNED AS A DICTATOR FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS. YOU KILLED OBI-WAN. YOU KILLED ME."

"Padmé, I am sorry."

"BUT. BUT, YOU SAVED OUR SON. YOU DEFEATED THE EMPEROR. YOU SACRIFICED YOUR LIFE TO END THIS EMPIRE. AND I FORGIVE YOU."

And in that moment, tears flowed freely as my wife, my love, my everything, stepped out of the shadows and revealed herself to me.

Padmé.


End file.
